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RCI Membership renewal

WinniWoman

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My weeks membership is up this August. The only trades I have done the past few years have been to trade my floats back in to my home resort (Smugglers Notch) for more preferable dates. First off, I had been having trouble renewing my membership online because of website issues. This led me to think "What's going to happen if I try to do an exchange online?". I haven't used the site since the new weeks changes have been implemented.

Anyway, upon looking further around on the website - specifically at the fees- I am really considering not renewing with RCI for the first time.

$189.00 - $199.00 to exchange, depending on whether you do it online or by phone
$89.00 for the Vacation Protection (or $49.00 to just insure the trading power, but you would lose the exchange fee and have to pay another exchange fee when you re-exchange!)
$89.00 per year membership (discounted the more years you sign up for)

Outrageous! If you exchange one week during one year, it will have cost you close to $400.00 if you take out the insurance protection or almost $300.00 if you don't! Not to mention, you have paid the maintenance fees on your home resort condo. I just don't see the value in this. Plus, you still have to go through the hassles of trying to get something you want. And believe me, I used to exchange my floats a lot in the past into some pretty good resorts in Hawaii, Arizona, Florida, etc.

I was going to renew again because I have, for example, a "blue" week coming up in November 2014 (which is best to bank this year to help on the trading power) and another "white" Oct week in 2015, but now I am thinking I should just drive up to my home resort and take a rest on the off-season! My husband agrees. Even if only one of us can go in the off-season, or maybe my 24 year old son might want to visit - even for a few days - we would be better off.

What's everyone else"s take? I am starting to rent for places/times I want to go when I am able and have the extra money and so far that seems to work out well. I belong, but haven't used Redweek or DAE for exchanges, so not familiar with their fees, but will check it out.:annoyed:


The other thing is, you if you do renew you really have to renew for 2- 3 years just because of the way exchanging works - you usually need that "window" in order to deposit and make an exchange for a future date. So you just really can have a one year membership unless you have a deposit already laying around in your account and want to use it right away the same year.

FYI - CSA has vacation rental insurance for $59.00. I took it out on the Smuggs rental I am doing for next winter - just in case. Usually when you rent privately from someone, if something happens and you can't use it, the owner is not going to give you your money back, especially if it's last minute and he/she can't find another renter (and he shouldn't be expected to give you your money back). This gives peace of mind on that issue and makes renting even more attractive for me. It also covers other things like baggage, roadside assist, delays, some medical/dental, interruption, rental car, AD&D, etc., which come in handy when you are renting elsewhere farther away (flying, etc.)
 
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Passepartout

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Similar question: If one doesn't renew their RCI membership, and owns an RCI Points resort, does the resort week revert back to the underlying week? Because of RCI's ever increasing fees and decreasing availability, I can get perfectly acceptable exchanges through TPI or VRI*ety at much lower rates.

Jim
 

WinniWoman

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That's TPI/VRI?

I don't know the answer to your question -
 

tschwa2

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Jim, I believe so but to be on the safe side make sure you reserve your week as a week at least 12 months in advance before the date so it isn't deposited in the points bank or you may lose one year's usage.

Mary Ann, As for RCI's website, it sucks- often. It glitches-often. I don't think you are going to be able to trade back into Smuggs with other exchange companies and I haven't found a company with nearly the northeast and mid atlantic inventory. But if RCI isn't working for you, you should drop them. You can always come back.
 

WinniWoman

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Jim, I believe so but to be on the safe side make sure you reserve your week as a week at least 12 months in advance before the date so it isn't deposited in the points bank or you may lose one year's usage.

Mary Ann, As for RCI's website, it sucks- often. It glitches-often. I don't think you are going to be able to trade back into Smuggs with other exchange companies and I haven't found a company with nearly the northeast and mid atlantic inventory. But if RCI isn't working for you, you should drop them. You can always come back.


I know it (the site) always has stunk! But I have always been able to get into a unit and building that I wanted. I would call RCI to verify first. However, I am not even worried about exchanging back in that much. We have an Smugg owners swap/rental column, and I don't mind using the floaters. And I don't mind paying for a rental somewhere else I might want to go. But I definitely mind paying the high RCI fees, so I don;t think I will be renewing. Like you said, I could always rejoin later if I change my mind.:)
 
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